Tell us about your organisation and its journey to date.

RAK Hospital’s journey of the last 15 years has been immensely gratifying and inspiring, to say the least. Set up with a view to cater to the primary care needs of residents in the Northern Emirates, RAK Hospital soon spread its wings across the UAE and to international patients through its very supportive network and reliable references. Not just that, we have also been able to establish ourselves as the foremost centre of advanced tertiary care in the Middle East region.

With just 18 months from the groundbreaking ceremony to its inauguration, RAK Hospital has stood tall, since the beginning, for its innovative approaches to wellness and healthcare. Drawing inspiration from Sonnenhof Swiss Health (SSH) of Switzerland, which is renowned for excellence in healthcare combined with the highest levels of hospitality, we have created a unique model of healthcare rarely seen before in the region. The same is also reflected in our vision of establishing Ras Al Khaimah as the premium quality healthcare destination of the world.

The success can be gauged by the fact that in the very first year, RAK Hospital won the Joint Commission International (JCI) of the US, and Swiss Leading Health (SLH) of Switzerland, the two most credible accreditors of healthcare facilities in the world. The list of these accolades has grown consistently year after year since then. The journey is dotted with several milestones. We have introduced various technological innovations to the UAE’s healthcare sector bringing world-class treatments and surgical procedures of international standard right into the heart of the MENA region. Each year has witnessed the addition of something new to the hospital from its cutting-edge surgical treatments to the strength and experience of the renowned medical team. As a result, RAK Hospital has become a popular medical tourism centre for complete and long-term medical solutions.

How has the organisation evolved to address the challenges of an ever-changing healthcare sector? Please list some accomplishments.

Not so long ago, many patients from Middle East would travel abroad due to the absence of advanced tertiary medical care facilities in the region, especially in the domains of cardiology, neurology, orthopaedics and oncology, but not anymore. RAK Hospital, by virtue of its capable staff and reliable network of partners, has ushered in a new era of expert and best-in-class treatments available locally and entailing a gamut of healthcare services across 30 specialities. Further to our strategic partnership with Dignity Health International (DHI), the international arm of CommonSpirit Health, one of the largest hospital systems in the US, our patients now have access to not just the world-class protocols and practices right here in the region but also to the best of experience and expertise offered by physicians across a strong network of 140 hospitals in the US.

We are also very proud of our engagement with the community and people, arising as an outcome of various CSR initiatives undertaken by RAK Hospital. Courtesy of such programs, we continually develop a rich and in-depth understanding of numerous healthcare challenges faced by society. This understanding, in synergistic conjunction with the clinical experience of our staff, enables us to design and introduce many community-care programs aimed at spreading awareness and education about preventive lifestyle and proactive healthcare. 

Our COVID-19 awareness drives, rehabilitation programs as well as RAK Biggest Weight Loss Challenge and RAK Diabetes Challenge are some examples of such initiatives which have made a huge difference to the way people deal with various lifestyle-related ailments. We have proved that having a holistic perspective and management protocol can reduce the burden of pandemics and epidemics. Our RAK Hospital on Wheels is another pioneering initiative towards bringing best-in-class treatment closer to the low-income group population of Northern Emirates. Our team of expert medical professionals travel to various high-density residential areas in a custom-designed ‘Mobile Clinic’, equipped with world-class equipment and facilities, for offering superior medical services at a very affordable cost.

Through another groundbreaking initiative, RAK Hospital has committed to training hundreds of security guards as first responders for emergency situations. This first-of-a-kind initiative by the institution aims to save thousands of lives by making First Aid readily available to society. As part of this program, high-quality BLS-certified Life Support training is provided free of cost to hundreds of security guards across Ras Al Khaimah. Give us an insight into your portfolio and solutions targeted at the Middle East region. RAK hospital boasts a wide multidisciplinary portfolio encompassing 30 specialities, with a primary focus on cardiac services, neurosciences, orthopaedics, musculoskeletal conditions, rehabilitation and select additional services. 

We are also developing an integrated Patient Navigation Center on a hub and spoke basis, with the RAK centre as a hub and initial spoke centres spread across Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Bahrain. Additionally, we would set up Virtual Tumour Boards enabling consultation and diagnosis of complex cancer cases while allowing our patients to stay close to home. 

Tell us about your recent and upcoming investments and partnerships in this field.

Besides our ongoing partnership with The Swiss Leading Hospitals, we are also very excited about the new strategic partnership with Dignity Health International. These associations enable us to provide best-in-class tertiary medical care to the society in the region, thus minimising the burden on patients to travel abroad for advanced treatments. RAK Hospital is the only healthcare institution in the entire MENA region to be aligned with Dignity Health International (DHI), CommonSpirit’s international health representative, cementing the hospital’s position as a preferred medical destination for both international and local patients. The unique collaboration also heralds an expansion of RAK Hospital, which would triple its capacity by 2024. 

The key areas of collaboration with CommonSpirit, which operates 140 hospitals and more than 1,500 care sites across 21 US states, will include digital innovation, training and education, clinical alignment, care coordination, network expansion and improving the overall patient experience. The capacity enhancement would enable us to cater to the increasing influx of medical tourists, as well as to meet the increased demand for quality healthcare which will be created by the implementation of mandatory health insurance in the Northern Emirates. The expansion will equip us to serve local and international patients with high-quality care. Digital and smart health practices that are successful in DHI network hospitals will also be implemented at RAK Hospital, while the potential of artificial intelligence will be harnessed to create improved patient experiences. In addition, a further scale-up of telehealth services will be implemented to support the expansion requirements.

What will you be showcasing at Arab Health 2023?

Our main endeavour at Arab Health 2023 will be to highlight the advancements in tertiary medical care available now to patients in the Middle East region through our hospital, medical centres and labs. We would also be showcasing our strengths and medical tourism capabilities through our network of strategic partnerships. The key highlight would be the display of Patient Navigation Centres being developed in association with DHI, which will provide patients and their clinicians access to exceptional clinical expertise across CommonSpirit’s affiliated network, and further, support patients seeking healthcare services in one of the CommonSpirit’s centres of excellence in the United States. Through this integrated Patient Navigation Center, we will help patients identify the most appropriate CommonSpirit facility for treatment and also manage and provide continuity for pre and post-care. Clinical teams from both health systems will be able to coordinate care virtually thus reducing the burden of medical travel for regional patients. 

In addition to the above, what opportunities are you looking forward to at the upcoming event?

Arab Health is one of the most popular health events globally. With a footfall of 30,000+, it provides us with the opportunity of highlighting several of the milestones achieved by RAK Hospital during the last 15 years. We are sure that our participation in an event of such a magnitude would constitute another giant stride towards fulfilling our vision of establishing Ras Al Khaimah as the preferred destination for premium medical care in the world.

We are definitely looking forward to meeting industry peers from across the world, exchanging knowledge, showcasing our capabilities and forging new ties to grow further.

Please tell us about your plans for the year 2023.

Having successfully been in operations for the last 1.5 decades, which has seen RAK Hospital evolving from a family care institution to one of the best tertiary care providers in the region, we are well poised to custom expand our capacity in the most befitting manner to the needs of Middle Eastern society. In 2023, we aim to build further on the partnership with DHI and expand further the portfolio of medical care services in the region. 

The roll-out of mandatory health insurance in the Northern Emirates will also herald a new era for the healthcare sector bringing positive changes to the industry and we are totally geared up for that.  Furthermore, we will continue to augment our community outreach by providing constant motivation, guidance and education to society, so they are fully equipped to take a proactive charge of their health. We also look forward to introducing some novel techniques in the domain of cardiac care and neurology departments as well as enrichment of our overall service offerings.

Anything else you would like to add?

With a burgeoning healthcare industry, the UAE has been exemplary in offering treatments at par with high international levels. RAK Hospital too has been at the forefront of this endeavour and has been instrumental in bringing the latest innovations in the medical field to the UAE. The hospital which was envisioned, designed and built with the aim to bring to the region top-class medical expertise, will continue to add more value to the UAE medical scene, adding to its growth and stability.

I wish all the participants of Arab Health 2023 and the society at large a very healthy and successful 2023.